Is Alice Krige Queen of the Dark Elves in ‘Thor: The Dark World’?

As strange as it may sound, Alice Krige as the nameless Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact was (let’s face it) responsible for many a young Trekkie’s sexual awakening. The 58-year old South African actress may reign over another realm of geekdom in the upcoming Marvel sequel, Thor: The Dark World.

Filming on The Dark World gets underway later this month, but the only major new casting announcement to date has been for ex-Doctor WhoChristopher Eccleston as Malekith the Accursed (not counting Zachary Levi replacing Josh Dallas as Fandral). But every ruler needs his queen, so it stands to reason that Krige could be portraying Alflyse, the Queen of the Dark Elves and the Svartalfheim realm in Thor’s second standalone adventure.

The actress describes her role in Thor 2 as a minor one, and told those at this year’s Star Trek: Las Vegas convention that she won’t be altogether recognizable in the film. Alflyse certainly fits that bill, given her Dark Elf-ish blue-skin and dark hair (among other qualities). The character appeared in a Hercules-Thor comic book crossover storyline, where Hercules disguises himself as the God of Thunder to confront the Elves at Alflyse’s castle. Herc’s plan doesn’t exactly go the way he expected as he ends up bedding Alflyse, being appointed her husband (as well as the new King of Svartalfheim), and leading an invasion of Midgard and Asgard. Thor manages to sort the whole thing out, thanks to a heads-up from the Warriors Three.

Thor: The Dark World obviously won’t take that route, though it’s easy to imagine Alflyse playing a role similar to Frigga’s (Rene Russo) in the first Thor – as a confidante (with benefits?) to Malekith, who’s most likely going after the Casket of Ancient Winters in the sequel.

Alflyse, Queen of the Dark Elves and Svartalfheim

Krige’s career extends well beyond her work on the Star Trek franchise, with roles in Chariots of Fire, Ghost Story, and Sleepwalkers to her name; not to mention, the Children of Dune and Dinotopia mini-series, along with stints on acclaimed HBO TV shows Six Feet Under and Deadwood. That’s all to say, she’s another welcome (and highly-regarded) addition to the cast of The Dark World – which also includes returning folk like Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Idris Elba, of course.

Alan Taylor is directing Thor: The Dark World, after a prolific tenure contributing to an eclectic collection of cable shows, including Oz, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones. Taylor’s successful efforts in bringing George R.R. Martin’s sprawling fantasy tome to gritty life has us excited to see whether he brings a similarly coarse and tangible version of the Nine Realms to the big screen.

Look for Thor: The Dark World to opens in U.S. theaters on November 8th, 2013.